Lecture no 02

ROLE OF HAZRAT MUJADID ALIF THANI

FOR THE REVIVAL OF MUSLIM SOCIETY IN
INDIAN SUBCONTINENT

Background
Mughal Period in India (1526-1857)
A Brief Introduction
Total duration of Reign: 331 years
Capitals:
Agra (15261571), Fatehpur Sikri (1571
1585), Lahore (15851598), Agra (1598
1648), Shah Jahanabad/Delhi (16481857)
Languages:
Persian (official and court language) Chagatai
Turkic (only initially), Urdu (later period)
Famous Emperors:
(1) Babur (1526-1530), Humayun (15301540,1555-56), Akbar (1556-1605), Jahangir
(1605-1627), Shahjahan (1628-1658),
Aurangzeb (1658-1707)
Last Emperor: Bahadur Shah Zafar II
Today Part of:
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India,
Pakistan, Tajikistan
(Source: Wikipedia)

AKBAR (Reign 1556-1605CE) : HIS RELIGIOUS REFORMS OR INTRODUCTION OF NEW RELIGION

1. Akbars political ambitions to extend the
empire.
2. Akbars irritation with narrow-minded
Mullas religion and quest for Reality
3. The Millenial Movement (Alfi Tehreek)
4. Akbars Deen-e-Illahi; Religious Reforms or
Introduction of a new Religion?
5. Sheikh Ahmed Sirhindis Reaction

Late 16th century portrait of Akbar

by Manohar

FACTORS THAT ENCOURAGED AKBAR TO INTRODUCE RELIGIOUS

REFORMS/NEW RELIGION
1. Akbars political ambitions to
extend the empire.

1556, he defeated Hemu a Hindu

leader who seized Delhi.
1557, he put down a rebel Muslim
army led by Afghans and Uzbeks.
1567, he began series of campaigns
against rebellious Hindu chiefs.
By 1580 Akbar had added Gujarat
and Bengal
1589, Kashmir was captured.
1591, Sindh was captured.
1595, Kandhar was added and
Deccan peninsula in the south was
annexed.

(Source: Nigel Kelly, The History and Culture of

Pakistan, Peak Publishing London)

2. Akbars irritation with narrow-minded

Mullas religion and quest for Reality
In terms of attitude towards religion, Akbars
three phases of life:

Phase I:
A devout, Orthodox Muslim and God-fearing
and Religious-minded individual.
Attachment with Chishti Sufis.

Phase II:
1575, Ibadatkhana was built in Fethpur Sikri,
Akbars quest for understanding religion
starts. Religious clerics were called for
presenting their views on Islam. The specific
nature of Mullas irritated Akbar from Islam
and he invited the clerics of other religions.
He started to follow different religious
rituals.
Phase III:
Introduction of Deen-e-Illahi

Akbars Religious Innovations or Deen-e-Illahi

3. The Millenial Movement (Alfi Tehreek)
Hadith of Prophet (PBUH) that after every
thousand years there shall appear a
person who shall purify Islamic teachings
and segregate Islam from non-Islamic
faiths, rituals and values.
First thousand years of Hijra calendar
were about to end during the reign of
Akbar and this Hadith was now on the
tongue of every religious scholar.
Everybody was looking for a Reviver of
Islam (Mujadid).
Number of people including Mahmud of
Pasakhwan (d. 1492 CE) and Syed
Muhammad of Jaunpur (d 1504 CE)
claimed to be promised Mujadid, and
even later claimed to be Mahdi.
Akbar introduced Deen-e-Illahi.
(Source: M.R.Kazmi, Pakistan Studies, Oxford
University Press)

Features of Akbars Deen-e-Illahi

1. The unpleasing way to include in Arabs
Deen/Tareeqa. The followers were given a
token containing Ism-e-Azam and the kings
symbolic motto Allah-O-Akbar. (Remember
king was also called as Akbar).
2. When the followers of Deen-e-Illahi used to
meet with themselves, one would say AllahO-Akbar and the other responded Jalli
Jalalahu. (Remember the Kings name was
also Jalauddin). Thus confusion raised whether
King used to consider himself as God?
3. Slaughtering of Cow was banned officially.
4. Dogs and pigs declared as sacred animals.
5. Ghusl-e-Janabat was prohibited.
6. More than one wife was banned. A lot of
others foolish decisions were taken by Akbar.
(Source: Zawar Hussain Shah, Seerat-eMujadid Alif Thani, Zawariya Academy
Karachi)

Sheikh Ahmed Sirhindis Reaction to Deen-e-Ill

Who was Sheikh Ahmed of Sirhind?
Title:
Mujadid Alif Thani (reviver of the second
millennium)
Born: 1564
Family Background:
Religious, Scholarly and Mystic family of
Sirhind. Son of Sheikh Abdul Ahad, a Chishti
Sufi Saint. Descendent of Hazrat Umar
Faruq, hence was called as Faruqi.
Mystic attachment with Order:
Naqshbandi disciple of Khwaja Baqibillah.
Well-known as:
Prominent Religious Scholar, Author, a great
Sufi Saint of Naqhbandiya Order. And
founder of Naqshbandiya Mujadidya
Branch of the same Order. He wrote a
number of books and booklets on Islam.

Sheikh Ahmed Sirhindis Contribution

I.

To influence the Courtiers of Akbar

& Jahangir to adopt right path of
Islam
II. Pure Islamic Teachings were
propagated in the breadth and
length of Subcontinent
III. Purification of Islam by segregating
non-Islamic beliefs and rituals from
it
IV. Pioneer of the idea of separate
Muslim identity

Suggested Readings

1.
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3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Mulla Abdul Qadir Badayuni, Muntakhib-ul-Tawareekh, English/Urdu Translations

S. M. Ikram, History of Muslim Civilization in India & Pakistan, Institute of Islamic
Culture
S. M. Ikram, Rod-e-Kausar, Idara Saqafat-e-Islamia
Annemarie Schimmel, Islam in the Indian Subcontinent, Sang-e-Meel Publications
Nigel Kelly, The History and Culture of Pakistan, Peakock Publications London
I. H. Qureshi, Bar-e-Sageer Ki Millat-e-Islamiya
Dr. Mubarak Ali, Akbar Ka Hindustan, Fiction Book House
Zawar Hussain Shah, Seerat-e-Mujadid Alif Thani, Zawariya Academy Karachi
M.R.Kazmi, Pakistan Studies: A Textbook, Oxford University Press